zircon

I don't think I can be as lenient as some of the other Js on the EQ here. There's basically no bass whatsoever, no low-mid, TONS of treble. It's really thin. This is an easy fix, as is it seems like the whole mix is being sent through a rezzy highpass filter, especially on some of those trumpet notes. The stereo is nice, and the overall sample implementation is passable. The arrangement is nice, though I think it relies on sustained chords too much, without creating much rhythmic interest. If the arrangement were stronger I would say it could cover for the EQ problems and average samples, but that is not the case here. With rebalanced EQ I would most likely pass this. NO, RESUBMIT

http://www.ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=7681 Don't forget to browse this.

Right, that means that (2) or (3) or however many individual remixers were involved in a collaboration.

I'm going to echo BGC's vote here. Everything sounds great but the overall volume and bass could certainly be boosted. An easy fix that will make the piece as a whole much stronger. I was definitely impressed with the arrangement and writing; the production was really great. We don't get a lot of small ensemble mixes, and those we do get are usually very fake-sounding. Good job! Just tweak that EQ/volume.. YES (conditional)

There is no reliable way to "extract vocals", unfortunately. The vast majority of remixes ARE created with a capellas, and in fact the more popular the artist, the more likely they are to have one available. I mean, labels aren't gonna just delete/throw away the sessions when they're done with them.

Pretty ambitious mixing such short sources, but others have done it, so it's not impossible. The volume level seems a bit quiet overall, but production in general is nice. However, this is WAY too sparse until halfway through the song when the bass drum and low sustain notes come in. The sounds are all good, as is the performance, but the soundfield is really not being filled out as much as it could be. Also, there's a ton of repetition of the same riffs. The percussion basically consists of two loops repeated with minimal variation, and they're not interesting enough to merit that. The arrangement is nice in terms of the individual 'pieces' but there's nothing connecting everything together. For example, at 3:00 there's just no transition at all. Again, lots of repetition. Seems like there are a solid handful of ideas throughout the mix that are stretched far and not reinforced. This is a great foundation, but I think you simply need more layers; a denser texture. Your production, performance, and intrepretive abilities are all good. However, the mix as is feels only half done. NO, RESUBMIT

Don't forget, you can also right click any knob or parameter and hit "Edit Events" to create automation in any given PATTERN. This is usually more precise. Also, from the same right-click menu that gives you Edit Events, you can also send that parameter to be displayed in the piano roll for a particular instrument, which is great for doing note-by-note automation in a sequence.

Supposedly it is way better in 5.1, but I listen to it on stereo headphones and it sounds amazing.

You MET BT? I am so jealous. There are only a handful of bands/artists that I could be considered a fanboy of, and he is #1 on my list.

What the hell school did you go to? At every place I've heard of, if you plagiarize anything, that results in a fail. You don't need to copy the whole paper to get in trouble.

Definitely some very obvious similarities. Yeah, not all of the MGS theme segments are present in the Russian piece, but there are numerous melodic motifs that are copied nearly exactly. Minor rhythmic variations. I wouldn't say it's a 1:1 rip though, and it COULD be purely coincedence; after all there are a limited number of possible melodies in the world, and the MGS theme isn't that complex to begin with.

A ban? No. A warning? Yes.

Nekocon isn't anywhere close to the biggest convention on the East Coast... based on the numbers I'm seeing (2368 in 2004) it's barely 1/10 the size of Otakon. In general we have to pick and choose what events we'll be going to. Geographic location is of course important, but size is a major factor. Will it be worth our time if we're only going to have 50-60 people at our panel?

You're a moron. Stop making huge judgments of products you don't even own. I've had Battery for years and it's an amazing plugin; the built in sample library is very impressive. As good as DFHS? No. But I've used it in a variety of songs and from personal experience I can say it's very good.

Considering the price of music has gone DOWN throughout the last 30 years or so, not even considering inflation, I'd say it's a better time than ever to be a music consumer. Not to mention all the free net radio stations, streaming sites, dropcards, trial offers... music is practically worthless these days when it comes to the average listener, because it's SO easy to get (even legally).

Battery 3 has some kits for that.

Oh I'm in.

Actually, that's very true. CD Baby recently started selling MP3 downloads of CDs. I didn't think it would be successful given how they already distribute through iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, Payplay, etc. Yet I've been getting MP3 sales through CD Baby's site routinely now. Go figure.

Yeah, I do a lot of shopping on Amazon also. Physical goods are a whole different story. But it's like... we already have eMusic and others, where buying a song is as simple as adding credit to your account and then clicking "Download". Really, how many ways can you set up the same system?

The difference with physical stores is convenience. You HAVE to have lots of locations, because there are so many locations where people live and may be interested in buying music. Conversely, with the internet, anyone can access the same site at the same speed. No, there is nothing wrong with more music stores online. Just saying there are a lot in existence already, including DRM-free ones, so it's like.. why use Amazon's specifically?

Schwaltz; This is an appropriate Community topic so I figured I'd move it here. Amazon probably does pay more to major labels or bigger clients; I'm talking strictly about their "Advantage" program which is purely commission based. Metatron; or you could not be a dick and support good artists.

Can't hurt, really. But the market is pretty saturated with music stores. There are at least 20 that sell downloads, many of them DRM-free. Why start another one? Amazon's general policy for commissions is ass, though; my CD, sold for $13 on their site (physical copy) results in $5.50 of actual money sent to me per sale. Awful. CD Baby pays $9 and other sites are higher still. If their digital money distribution is anything like it, expect artists to get like 20 cents of a $1 sale.

No, and I don't believe there ever will be. You are better off torrenting all the mixes and sorting through them yourself - not difficult with a decent media player.

I think we're on the same page but just miscommunicating a bit, DC. I haven't ever said that your intent behind the music doesn't affect its artistic integrity. I do agree with you. If you are writing music with no other purpose than to make money, that IS soulless. But there is a middle ground. I'm working on this ethnic/electronic CD for licensing. A main reason I'm doing it is to license it and earn a chunk of change. BUT! That's not the ONLY reason I'm doing it. I'm having a lot of fun with the actual musical aspect of it and exploring styles and instruments that I haven't used before. I've sent WIPs to people and no one has yet said that it just sounds like "ad music" or anything of the sort - in fact most people have really enjoyed it. Another comparable situation would be film scores. There are some absolutely beautiful ones out there, but do you think they would have been written unless someone commissioned the composers to do so? Incredibly unlikely. Yet even though I know John Williams got paid an exorbitant fee for Munich, I think the music is powerful and beautiful. It really is up to the artist to decide what kind of art he or she will be making. For every great career composer or songwriter there are a thousand people looking to simply show off, make money, and attract people of the opposit sex.

Antipode, "product" does not imply "cranked out on an assembly line". Antigravity is a product. I didn't create it with no artistic weight or vision. Hardly anything in this industry is really made "assembly line" style - that has been dying for the last century. As I mentioned before, most publishing deals are single-song only; the days of Tin Pan Alley are long gone. Additionally, releasing good music and relying on donations will earn you very little to nothing. You won't make a career or even a decent auxiliary income. That's fine if you're not interested in actually being a career musician, but many people (like myself) are. Well, it doesn't mean that, unfortunately. Harsh reality. Tons of people 'appreciate' music and won't spend a dime on it. More and more people are like that, really. Think about how many people come to OC ReMix, post saying they LOVE the music, and don't donate anything. Dave would have to give exact figures, but I'd say a conservative estimate is that maybe one in ten thousand listeners actually donate? You really have to SELL your music to people to get anywhere financially. Again, this doesn't affect your art. If BT charged $50 for This Binary Universe I'd still probably have bought it, and certainly would have loved it as much as I do now. Likewise, if he charged $5 I'd still say it's fantastic. Why should the music of independent musicians like you and I be ANY different? The market is MUCH worse than it has ever been. There are more listeners than ever but spending trends are way down. The serious hit to CD sales has not even been close to made up for by increases in digital downloads/streaming net radio. The article (which is definitely worth a read) cites specific numbers saying that touring musicians earn less now, considering inflation, than they did a few decades ago. In general, we now have WAY more people making music, AND music has been devalued. Not a good combo for the working musician.